Guatemala

Guatemala overturns ex-dictator's 'historic' genocide conviction

Tue, 21 May 2013 23:03:49 GMT

Source: www.cbc.ca --- Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Guatemala's top court has overturned a conviction against former dictator Efrain Rios Montt, which just days ago was being hailed as a milestone decision. Earlier this month, the court made history by finding Rios Montt guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity. ...

News story: British Embassy Guatemala presents the UK offer to Quetzaltenango

Tue, 21 May 2013 20:18:40 GMT

Source: www.gov.uk --- Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The mission was lead by the Chargé d’Affaires, David McNaught. The embassy team participated in the International Trade and Cultural Fair, XelajuEs, met with local authorities, including the city mayor Jorge Barrientos, and visited Universidad Rafael Landivar to promote the opportunities to study in the UK. Chargé d’Affaires McNaught also visited a women’s refuge that had received UK funds via the campaign “Break the Cycle of Violence” that the embassy continues to support. After the visit, Chargé d’Affaires McNaught said: “I am delighted that we could participate again in XelajuEs. Quetzaltenango is important to us and the work of the British Embassy in Guatemala. We were able to meet students enthusiastic about studying in the UK, and also to share the UK’s Olympics experience as the city prepares to host the Central American and the Caribbean Games in 2018. We look forward to visiting Quetzaltenango again.” Further information To see pictures of the embassy’s visit to Quetzaltenango, please visi our Facebook page . ...

Guatemala's former dictator was convicted of genocide and crimes against humanit...

Tue, 21 May 2013 19:00:00 GMT

Source: www.facebook.com --- Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Guatemala's former dictator was convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity. Now the country's highest court has overturned the ruling. Conviction of Genocidal Dictator Efrain Rios Montt Overturned by Guatemala's Highest Court www.motherjones.com Here's a quick look back at some of the things Rios Montt did to Guatemala—with a helping hand from the US government. ...

Conviction of Genocidal Dictator Efrain Rios Montt Overturned by Guatemala's Highest Court

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:43:53 GMT

Source: www.motherjones.com --- Tuesday, May 21, 2013
On Monday, Guatemala's Constitutional Court overturned the conviction of former dictator Efraín Ríos Montt, an army general who ruled as de facto president from 1982 to 1983. On May 10, Ríos Montt, 86, was found guilty by a three-panel tribunal on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity, and sentenced to 80 years in the slammer; he is the first former head of state in the Americas to stand trial for genocide. But less than two weeks later, Guatemala's highest court threw out all proceedings in the case dating back to April 19, in part thanks to an aggressive lobbying effort by the nation's most influential business federation . Due to the court's 3-2 decision, the way forward—for Ríos Montt's opponents, for his supporters—has been thrown into question. After Monday's ruling, Ríos Montt was sent back to house arrest, where he had been since the case started in January 2012. Here's a quick reminder of who Efraín Ríos Montt is, and what he did. 1. During his 17-month stint as military dictator, he oversaw the genocide by his armed forces of at least 1,771 members of the indigenous Maya Ixil population. Roughly 100 survivors testified during the course of his trial. This Guatemala City newspaper reads, "Ríos Montt charged with 11 massacres." Via Granito: How to Nail a Dictator /Facebook 2. Along with the mass murder, his military regime carried out a policy of forced displacement, forced assimilation, torture, systematic rape ...

Efrain Rios Montt Conviction Overturned: Guatemala Court Annuls Proceedings In Genocide Case

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:15:17 GMT

Source: whatreallyhappened.com --- Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Guatemala's constitutional court on Monday overturned a genocide conviction against former dictator Efrain Rios Montt, throwing out all proceedings in his case since a dispute broke out last month over who should hear it. ...

Guatemala court overturns genocide conviction against former dictator

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:36:21 GMT

Source: wn.com --- Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Victims of 1980s violence express dismay as court annuls proceedings in case against José Efraín Ríos Montt José Efraín Ríos Montt, the Guatemalan former dictator, in court earlier this month. Photograph: Johan Ordonez/AFP/Getty Images A campaign for justice dating back to Latin America's "dirty wars" suffered a setback on Monday when Guatemala's constitutional court overturned the genocide conviction against the former dictator José Efraín Ríos Montt. The retired general was sentenced to 80 years in prison earlier this month for complicity in the deaths of 1,771 people of the Ixil Maya ethnic group during his period in power in 1982-83. The earlier conviction by the three presiding judges... ...

Guatemala Dictator Ríos Montt Gets Genocide Conviction Overtuned

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:36:20 GMT

Source: www.foxnews.com --- Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The ruling threw into disarray a process that had been hailed as historic for delivering the first guilty verdict for genocide against a former Latin American leader. ...

Corte de Guatemala anula sentencia por genocidio contra Ríos Montt

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:47:41 GMT

Source: derechos.amnestyusa.org --- Tuesday, May 21, 2013
© JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP/Getty Images La anulación por parte del Tribunal Constitucional de Guatemala de la sentencia contra ex dictador José Efraín Ríos Montt es un golpe devastador para las víctimas . “El fallo de este lunes es un golpe devastador para las víctimas de graves violaciones de los Derechos Humanos cometidas durante el conflicto”, ha declarado el investigador para Guatemala de Amnistía Internacional, Sebastián Elgueta. No están claros los fundamentos jurídicos de esta decisión, ni se sabe con seguridad cómo el tribunal de primera instancia puede pulsar el botón de reiniciar para volver a un punto de mediados de abril. Lo que está claro es que la Corte de Constitucionalidad, con su sentencia, ha levantado unos obstáculos tremendos para poder hacer justicia y garantizar rendición de cuentas por un periodo desgarrador de la historia reciente de Guatemala. Con la sentencia del 10 de mayo, el tribunal de primera instancia había transmitido el contundente mensaje de que no se tolerarían los crímenes cometidos contra miles de víctimas mayas. Ahora, la Corte de Constitucionalidad ha cuestionado ese mensaje y, con ello, ha puesto en peligro el derecho a obtener verdad, justicia y reparación en Guatemala . ...

Guatemala overturns historic genocide conviction

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:29:44 GMT

Source: amnesty.org --- Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Headline Title: Guatemala overturns historic genocide conviction 21 May 2013 Guatemala's Constitutional Court on Monday overturned the recent conviction and sentencing of former military ruler Efrain Rios Montt for genocide and crimes against humanity. "This ruling is a devastating blow for the victims of the serious human rights violations committed during the conflict," said Sebastian Elgueta, Amnesty International's researcher on Guatemala. "The legal basis for the ruling is unclear, and it is uncertain how the trial court can hit the reset button to get back to a point in mid-April. What is clear is that the Constitutional Court has just thrown up formidable obstacles to justice and accountability for a harrowing period in Guatemala's recent history. "With the sentence on 10 May, the trial court had sent a strong signal that crimes against thousands of Mayan victims would not be tolerated. The Constitutional Court has now questioned that message, putting the right to truth, justice and reparation at risk in Guatemala." Ríos Montt had been convicted and sentenced to 80 years for his role as the intellectual author of the killings of 1,771 individuals and the forced displacement of tens of thousands more from the Ixil triangle region of southern Quiché department in 1982 and 1983 in the midst of Guatemala’s internal armed conflict. A UN-backed truth commission found that some 200,000 people were killed or disappeared during ...

Guatemala strikes down ex-dictator's conviction

Tue, 21 May 2013 09:58:56 GMT

Source: www.france24.com --- Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Guatemala's Constitutional Court has struck down the 80-year sentence given to former dictator Efrain Rios Montt as well as his conviction for genocide and war crimes. The 3-2 ruling annulled all proceedings that took place after the trial was temporarily halted on April 19 due to a technicality, overturning the May 10 conviction but leaving most of the trial and testimony intact. It was not immediately clear whether the proceedings from April 19 could be repeated, nor whether Rios Montt, 86, would remain in prison. ...

Guatemala court overturns genocide ruling

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:48:00 GMT

Source: www.ft.com --- Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The ruling forcing proceedings to backtrack throws into disarray the trial that had issued a historic guilty verdict against former dictator Efrain Rios Montt ...

Guatemala Court Overturns Ex-Dictator’s Genocide Conviction

Tue, 21 May 2013 07:51:30 GMT

Source: www.inquisitr.com --- Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Guatemala’s highest court threw out the genocide conviction and prison sentence against ex-dictator General Efrain Rios Montt on Monday. The decision, made by the country’s Constitutional Court, was a huge legal victory for Rios Montt, 86, but also a blow to human rights advocates, who believed his conviction was a sign that Guatemala’s courts were through with impunity for the most powerful. General Rios Montt was sent to prison immediately after his conviction on May 10. A three-panel tribunal found him guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity. He was slated to serve 80 years, or more likely the rest of his life. But the ex-dictator was soon moved to a military hospital for medical tests. Now that Guatemala’s highest court has overturned his conviction, Rios Montt will head back to house arrest until his trial can be continued. He has been held under house arrest since his case started in January 2012. Legal experts have said that repeating the trial before the same tribunal may not happen, because it amounts to a form of double jeopardy. However, it is unclear if the rest of the trial will stay in limbo, or if a new tribunal must happen. General Efrain Rios Montt was found responsible as former commander in chief for several massacres and rapes, along with the forced displacement of the Maya’Ixil ethnic group. All of the alleged crimes took place during the dictator’s 17-month rule between 1982 and 1983. The conviction f ...

Guatemala ex-dictator's genocide conviction overturned

Tue, 21 May 2013 07:44:44 GMT

Source: www.usatoday.com --- Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The case of former dictator Efrain Rios Montt has been ordered back to the middle of the proceedings. ...

Guatemala overturns former dictator's genocide conviction

Tue, 21 May 2013 07:04:53 GMT

Source: www.guardian.co.uk --- Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Trial of Efrain Rios Montt, convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity committed in 1980s, thrown into disarray Guatemala's top court has overturned the genocide conviction of former dictator Efrain Rios Montt, ordering that the trial be taken back to the middle of proceedings. The ruling late on Monday threw into disarray a process that had been hailed as historic for delivering the first guilty verdict for genocide against a former Latin American leader. The constitutional court secretary, Martin Guzman, said the trial needed to go back to where it stood on 19 April to resolve several appeal issues. The ruling came 10 days after a three-judge panel convicted the 86-year-old former general of genocide and crimes against humanity for his role in massacres of Mayans during Guatemala's bloody 36-year civil war. The panel found after two months of testimony that Rios Montt knew about the slaughter of at least 1,771 Ixil Mayans in the western highlands and did not stop it. The tribunal sentenced Rios Montt to 80 years in prison, drawing cheers from many Guatemalans. It was the first time a former Latin American leader was convicted of such crimes in his home country and the first official acknowledgment that genocide occurred during the war â something the current president, retired general Otto Perez Molina, has denied. Rios Montt's lawyers immediately filed an appeal, and he spent three days in prison before he was moved t ...

Offering route for UAE (Pre& Std) and Guatemala (Std)

Tue, 21 May 2013 06:58:02 GMT

Source: forum.voxilla.com --- Monday, May 20, 2013
...

Guatemala ex-leader Rios Montt’s genocide conviction overturned

Tue, 21 May 2013 06:54:30 GMT

Source: www.irishtimes.com --- Monday, May 20, 2013
He was originally found guilty of overseeing the killings by armed forces of at least 1,771 members of the Maya Ixil population ...

Guatemala top court overturns genocide conviction

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:38:05 GMT

Source: www.charlotteobserver.com --- Monday, May 20, 2013
(By SONIA PEREZ DIAZ, Associated Press) Guatemala's top court overturned the genocide conviction of former dictator Efrain Rios Montt and ordered on Monday that his trial restart, throwing into disarray proceedings that had been hailed as historic for delivering the first such guilty verdict for a Latin American leader. Constitutional Court secretary Martin Guzman said the trial needs to go back to where it stood on April 19 to solve several appeal issues. ...

Guatemala's top court annuls Rios Montt genocide conviction

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:23:03 GMT

Source: www.legitgov.org --- Monday, May 20, 2013
ShareThis Guatemala's top court annuls Rios Montt genocide conviction 21 May 2013 Guatemala's highest court on Monday overturned a genocide conviction against former dictator [Reagan crony] Efrain Rios Montt and reset his trial back to when a dispute broke out a month ago over who should hear the case. Rios Montt was found guilty on May 10 of overseeing the killings by the armed forces of at least 1,771 members of the Maya Ixil population during his 1982-83 rule. He was sentenced to 80 years in prison. However, in a ruling on Monday, the country's Constitutional Court ordered that all the proceedings be voided going back to April 19, when one of the presiding judges suspended the trial because of a dispute with another judge over who should hear it. ...

Guatemala Court Annuls Rios Montt Genocide Conviction

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:04:30 GMT

Source: www.democraticunderground.com --- Monday, May 20, 2013
Source: [b]Reuters[/b] [B]Guatemala court annuls Rios Montt genocide conviction[/b] Source: Reuters - Tue, 21 May 2013 01:53 AM Guatemala CITY, May 20 (Reuters) - Guatemala's constitutional court on Monday overturned a genocide conviction against former dictator Efrain Rios Montt, t... ...

Guatemala's top court annuls Rios Montt's genocide conviction

Tue, 21 May 2013 04:45:13 GMT

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com --- Monday, May 20, 2013
Guatemala's highest court on Monday overturned a genocide conviction against former dictator Efrain Rios Montt and reset his trial back to when a dispute broke out a month ago over who should hear the case. ...